Amy, a high school chemistry teacher recently asked us, "What would be the very first thing you would share with a teacher about retrieval practice?" It's tough to choose, but we're up for the challenge! What's the first thing you would share with a teacher? Read a new article on the science of learning and share your thoughts with our "retrieval practice about retrieval practice!"
Read MoreRetrieval practice is a powerful strategy for learning, but sometimes it intimidates students. Download our Retrieval Warm Ups and make retrieval no big deal. They're a perfect way to show students that we retrieve all the time, without even thinking about it. To flip retrieval practice from a negative feeling to a positive strategy, sometimes all it takes is a little warming up!
Read MoreThis morning, I Skyped with high school students in South Africa. (Wow!) And our conversation renewed my commitment to two things: We must engage students in the conversation around the science of learning and we must build connections with teachers and students around the world. But how? Read on for tips on how to build engagement and connections worldwide.
Read MoreCake, cake, cake! This sweet delight illustrates how we can best support learning in the classroom: with retrieval practice, formative assessment, and summative assessment. But how are these ingredients similar and different? Why isn't learning a bake off, cupcake war, or throw down? And why isn’t retrieval practice a call for more tests?
Read MoreAre cumulative exams the same thing as spacing or interleaving? Actually, not quite. Cumulative exams can be beneficial for learning. But there are also some subtle ways we can take cumulative exams to the next level – by ensuring that we (and our students) are using spacing and interleaving throughout the semester, not just before the exam.
Read MoreWe spend a lot of time talking about retrieval practice. Why? We feel that retrieval practice is foundational. It serves as the basis on which we can add more strategies: spacing, interleaving, and feedback-driven metacognition. Download our “cheat sheet” summarizing key findings from retrieval practice, with links to scientific articles.
Read MoreHarness powerful teaching strategies, unleash the science of learning, and transform your classroom with resources by cognitive scientist Dr. Pooja K. Agarwal.
Transform learning in your classroom with practical research-based teaching tips by cognitive scientist Dr. Pooja K. Agarwal.
How can we support students during exam time and reduce test anxiety? Learn more about my research on student test anxiety and get quick lesson ideas to reduce anxiety with retrieval practice. It might sound counterintuitive, but the more students practice retrieval, the more comfortable they become with high-stakes tests.
Retrieval practice doesn’t require more class prep for us or ChatGPT for our students. Here are 8 no-prep prompts for retrieval practice I’ve developed over my 10+ years of teaching. I’ve also included a variety of new resources I highly recommend.
Here's a list of 40 cognitive scientists you need to know. They publish the newest research on retrieval practice, actively engage in science communication with educators on Twitter, and demonstrate diversity beyond the traditional ivory tower. Follow them, cite them, interview them, and reach out to them.
The world has changed and teaching has changed. One thing hasn't changed: The importance of learning and the frustration of forgetting. Here are 5 new resources and downloads, all free, all by cognitive scientists, all to empower you to unleash the science of learning.
Want a quick way to access classroom research on retrieval practice? Download our database of 50 experiments and read a detailed literature review by cognitive scientists.
Lots of students use flashcards. But using flashcards doesn't guarantee they're using retrieval practice. In fact, students could be wasting their time. This week, we share three research-based tips to make flashcards more powerful. Help students study smarter, not harder.
Whether you teach at an elementary school or a medical school, you've probably heard of the instructional strategy, think-pair-share. Don’t skip the “think” step! Read on for research-based tips on incorporating retrieval, spacing, and interleaving to make think-pair-share an even more powerful strategy in your classroom.
How can we use retrieval practice to break up our lessons, quickly and easily, without pausing to facilitate class discussion or collect papers? Use a retrieval strategy we simply call "Two Things," a no-quiz activity for your classroom.
With the end of the semester within sight, we feature a small strategy that makes a big impact on student learning – based on decades of cognitive science research. In scientific lingo, we call it "free recall."
Copyright © 2026 by Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.
Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 | Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
Read my new book, Smart Teaching Stronger Learning. Whether you teach K–12 students or graduate students, or you’re new to teaching or a long-time educator: If you want to improve student learning, this book is for you.